Metcalfe County is a small, rural, Appalachian Kentucky County with a population of 10,558 (2024, Census).  According to America’s Health Rankings, Kentucky is ranked 45^th in food insecurity with 14.5 % of households unable to provide adequate food for one or more family members.  Only 8.9 % of Kentucky adults report consuming the RDA for fruits and vegetables daily.   20.9 % of Kentucky children live in poverty.

The Metcalfe County Farmers Market (MCFM) has grown annually since it was established as a Metcalfe County Extension Community and Economic development project in 2008. 2024/25 saw the first full year-round operation for the Metcalfe Co. Farmers Market, which utilized the enclosed market building to extend operations through the winter season. 

During the 2024/25 program year, the Metcalfe Co. Extension Agent for FCS education provided Extension educational outreach with the following: Plate-It-Up-KY-Proud recipes, NEP recipe calendar, KYDA Kentucky Proud Farmers Market manual/operational guidelines, home-based processor/microprocessor technical assistance/certification renewal (four Home-based microprocessor's renewed), radon awareness, green cleaning, blueberry and chia seed nutrition, fruit and vegetable intake/cancer prevention, and youth and adult dental health.  FCS Agent prepares 85 samples of a seasonal, approved recipe to hand out during market outreach tabling, with all samples consumed, between 11:00 a.m. and noon, on each outreach set-up date.  The FCS Extension Agent supplied five training dates on different days of the week and different times, to train all fruit and vegetable grower vendors wanting to sell at the market and accept the WIC and Senior Farmers market nutrition program (SRWICFMNP) alternative payments.  Seven producers were first-time participants in the SR and WICFMNP, the FCS Extension Agent conducted and documented the mandatory first-time participant farm visits, to confirm eligible produce planted.  

MCFM had twenty-four paid member market vendors ($ 75.00 annual vendor member fee), four of whom were first – time participants during the 2024 season.  The average customer count for a typical Farmers market Friday is 275, with that number increasing up to over 400 per Friday, during the busy harvest season June – August.  There were an average of 5 vendors present over the winter market months, increasing to over 24 vendors present, during the busy harvest season.   In 2024/25, seven community partners including the Metcalfe County’s Extension District, Fiscal court, and Chamber of Commerce, T.J. Samson Community Hospital, Edmonton State Bank, and The Printing Press provided financial and in-kind support to the MCFM, valued at $16,000.  

MCFM vendors reported income for market sales at $ 85,552, an increase of $16,793 over the 2023 season.  The Metcalfe County School FRYSC and Barn Lot Theater funded $3000.00 for the MCFM kids bucks program, where each child between ages 3 and 17 who come to the market receive a $5.00 coin to expend that day on a food item of their choosing (600, $5.00 coins were distributed and utilized during the 2024 season).   Additional alternative payment funds were supplied by the WICFMNP $75.00, the SRFMNP $5537.00, SNAP funds $2352, the Community Farm Alliance grant program $1860.00 for doubling SRFMNP, $75.00 to double WICFMNP, and $2000.00 for the market manager salary match.